Massachusetts native 19-year-old Ryan Mitchell summited Mt. Everest on May 23, 2024, with Aang Phurba Sherpa as part of the Madison Mountaineering team. I interviewed him this week for my podcast. We discussed his experiences from training, climbing to the summit, and returning home.
Ryan, a Summit Coach client, contacted me about a year ago, wanting advice and coaching on how to climb Everest in the Spring of 2022. He had little to no experience, so while I told him many companies would take his money and have him on Everest, the best approach would be to wait at least a year and gain the skills and experience it would take to make a safe attempt on the world’s highest peak. He agreed, and we’ve worked together for the past year.
In this podcast, Ryan explains how he funds his climbs, training approach, and “why.” We cover a lot of topics, including:
- 1:22 – Was it hard? Was it fun?
- 2:50 – How did you train to get the required experience?
- 8:33 – What part of your training meant the most once on Everest?
- 11:35 – You created a YouTube series documenting each day of the expedition.
- 12:13 – What cameras did you use, and how did you keep the batteries warm?
- 18:50 – What other gear did well for you, like the down suit from Himali and your La Sportiva 8000-meter boots?
- 20:11 – Discuss the trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp
- 21:32 – Did video logging distract you from the overall experience?
- 23:12 – Describe arriving at EBC and meeting the Sherpas for the first time.
- 26:10 – How was climbing through the Icefall?
- 31:41 – How hot was the Western Cwm?
- 33:00 – Did you ever get sick?
- 34:45 – What were the climbing conditions on the Lhotse Face?
- 40:10 – Did you experience severe crowding on Everest?
- 41:42 – Describe the good and bad at the South Col.
- 48:50 – Walk us through the Summit push.
- 53:46 – Sunrise from Everest
- 56:07 – How was the Hillary Step?
- 59:10 – Seeing dead bodies
- 1:01:25 – What emotions did you feel on the summit?
- 1:06:36 – You had a fast climb back to C2. Why so fast?
- 1:09:30 – Were you happy when you finished your last trip through the icefall?
- 1:13:03 – How did it feel to arrive back home?
- 1:15:55 – What are one or two words or phrases describing your Everest journey?
- 1:17:30 – What’s next?
I know you will enjoy this.
You can follow him on YouTube at
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
Interview with Ryan Mitchell, 19, Mt. Everest Summiteer
“Life Changing”
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Summit Coach
If you dream of climbing mountains but are unsure how to start or reach your next level, from a Colorado 14er to Rainier, Everest, or even K2, we can help. Summit Coach is a consulting service that helps aspiring climbers worldwide achieve their goals through a personalized set of consulting services based on Alan Arnette’s 25 years of high-altitude mountain experience, including summits of Everest, K2, and Manaslu, and 30 years as a business executive.
Great job from both Ryan for putting in the 1000’s of hours in training and Alan for coaching him. I’ve really enjoyed Ryan’s journey.
Love reading about mt everest